Title: When I Talk To You
Author: Lady of the Ink
Pairing: V/H
Category: Suspense/Romance, with some good angst thrown in for flavor.
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and all the plot twists it contains.
Dedication: To all the reviewers who have taken the time to read this, and tell me what they thought.

Chapter Nine
Where'd It Go?

Less than a half hour after waking up, Corey found himself standing on the very hill he'd dreamed of. Knowing that he was close, he took off at a loping run towards the general area the familiar feeling had come from. He rapidly found himself dodging around trees and small bushes that ripped at his legs as he passed. The farther in he got, the thicker the canopy over his head became. Soon he was walking through near darkness.

An involuntary shudder passed through him as every horror movie he'd ever seen flashed through his mind. "Nothing like an early morning stroll into a dark, unknown forest all by myself to make me feel wide awake," he muttered to himself. As he took another step forward, there was a sharp tug on his leg. Letting out a yell, he whirled to see what had hold of him, only to flush when he saw a small plant with jagged edges twisted into the fabric of his jeans.

"It could have been a monster," he defended himself to himself. "Hitomi talked about all sorts of weird things in the woods here. It could have been anything."

"And yelling so would have helped you scare off any big, mean monsters."

Another yelp escaped Corey's throat as he twisted back into the direction he'd been going. Or would have twisted, had he not still been attached to the amazingly strong little plant. As he turned, it wrapped itself more tightly around him, tangling his legs until he did a less than graceful swan dive to the ground.

Spitting out the mouthful of dirt he'd managed to almost swallow, he looked up to see a rumpled looking Yukari smirking at him. "I give it an 8.5."

"Very funny," he said in a slurred voice, grimacing at the taste of soil in his mouth. Man, he hoped there hadn't been any ants or other bugs in there. As the reality of who was standing before him sank in, he did a sharp double take. "Yukari?! What are you doing here?"

Shaking her head, she sat down cross-legged before him. "I was kind of hoping you could tell me. All I know is that I was hiding in some guy's room, waiting to try and sneak out. Then there was this bright flash, and everything gets a little murky after that. I remember falling, mostly 'cause it hurt, and then I guess I passed out. When I woke up, I was in this forest, looking at a sky that makes no sense. After worrying myself sick, this creepy old guy comes along carrying a huge sack." Corey nodded at her to continue as he began working to untangle himself.

"Well, already being freaked out, it didn't take much to make me faint again.
Not one word, Sir Screams-Like-A-Twelve-Year-Old-Girl." She glared pointedly at the shrub that was halfway loosened from his leg. Corey quickly closed his mouth. "When I came to that time, the old guy was still there, and he'd made lunch. I was hungry, and he was the only person around, so I hoped he could answer a few questions.

"Turns out he's actually kind of nice. So he tells me about this world; Gaea, I think he called it. And about how it's hidden from what he called the Mystic Moon to keep it from being corrupted from their evil ways, or something like that. I wanted to pass it off as some bizarre old man's demented ramblings, but there was the sky. Two moons when there should have been only one is a pretty good reason to believe what he had to say.

"Then he gets to talking about this 'Great War' that happened a couple of years ago. About how this young king goes to slay a dragon and comes back with a strange girl from none other than the Mystic Moon. A girl who sounds an awful lot like my best friend. And just so happens to have the same name, too. Isn't that an awfully remarkable coincidence?"

Corey would have cut in and tried to explain, but the look on Yukari face expressed more clearly than words that she needed some venting time before she'd be willing to listen to reason. Holding his tongue, he waited for her to get to whatever point she was going to make.

"So he keeps rambling about this girl who could see the future, and read Tarot cards, who saved a lot of people's lives, and basically helps save the world. Then she decides to go home to the Mystic Moon. And all of this happened around the same time that Hitomi began to act differently. I think that seems like a few too many similarities for it all to be a big coincidence. Don't you agree, Corey?"

"Yukari . . ."

"I knew you would," she cut in, a strained laugh following on the heels of the barked reply. Obviously, even she caught the slightly hysterical note in that laugh, because she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You know a lot more about what's going on here than I do, right?"

Corey nodded.

"And this place has something to do with why Hitomi got sick, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"When you asked me for help, you said that there was someplace that Hitomi needed to be before she'd get better. You meant here."

"Yeah."

"And the girl, the big hero that guy was talking about? That was Hitomi, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"You're looking for her? That's why you're in the woods?" He nodded. "In that case, we'd better get moving."

Corey looked up, confused, as Yukari stood. Following her action, he trailed behind her as she began walking. "Um, where are we going?"

She sighed and shook her head, giving him a look that said he was hopelessly clueless. "The old guy I was talking about, he said he could have sworn he saw this hero again, not far from here. And if the hero is Hitomi, then she's not far from here, so we'd better get moving."

Corey stopped in tracks, dumbstruck. No wonder the vision had sent him here instead of to Hitomi. He could have searched all day with no results, but now he had someone who was going to lead him right to her! That thought brought up another question, and he hurried to catch up with the older girl.

"So how did you know where to find me?"

"The old guy again. I think he's more into the goings on of this forest than a bored housewife is with a soap opera. But at least he was helpful. Till he tried to dig through my pockets, anyway."

Corey snickered, suddenly realizing who the man had to be. "What. Do. You. Find. So. Amusing?" Yukari demanded, glowering at him. He lifted a hand to keep her at bay.

"It's just that that guy you ran into is The Moleman. Right after Hitomi got here, he met up with her in almost the same way. Dark forest, she was all alone, he tried to rip her off . . ." He chuckled. "I can't wait to tell Hitomi about this."

Just as the words left his mouth, a shrill scream echoed through the trees. The familiar voice sent a shot of fear straight through Corey's chest. "That's Merle!" Images of her being chased by the mob of angry men flashed through his mind, and his breath caught in his throat. "We have to find her!"

Looking at each other, the two teens took off running towards the sound. Yukari, ribs still bruised from her crash landing, fell slightly behind. Corey was the first to break through into a small clearing and see the two struggling people in the middle of it.

He stopped dead at the sight of Merle viciously wielding her pack on a short, stringy haired man, yelling at him all the while. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on someone? You scared me half to death, you crazy old man!"

Wrapping an arm around his already aching side, Corey began to chuckle. "This just isn't that guy's day."

Hearing his voice, Merle paused in her attack. Turning just in time to see Yukari emerge from the tree line, all thoughts of punishment fled her mind. Dropping her pack to the ground, she moved to Corey's side, a questioning look on her face as the boy continued to laugh to himself. Yukari stared in amazement at the cat girl in front of her. No one noticed when the abused Moleman slipped away.

"Corey?" Merle asked tentatively, trying to figure out what he thought was so darn hilarious. When he didn't answer, she huffed a little, stomping her foot. If there was one thing she hated, it was being ignored. Deciding to return the favor, she turned to the only other remaining person in the clearing.

The dark haired girl was staring at her oddly. Any other time, Merle might have been offended, but judging by her clothes, she was also from the Mystic Moon. Prepared to let it slide this time, she offered a small smile. "Hi, I'm Merle."

"I'm Yukari. You have a tail."

Raising an eyebrow as Corey snorted, Merle rolled her eyes. "Yes, I do. What are you doing here?"

The older girl looked startled, finally losing the dazed look. "Oh, I'm a friend of Hitomi's. I was helping the two of them out last night, and somehow, whatever brought them here brought me too."

Nodding Merle looked at the ground where Corey was now sprawled on his back, tears streaming down his cheeks. "What's wrong with him?"

Yukari shrugged. "I don't know what set him off, but I think it's a stress-release kind of thing. These past months have been hard on him, and now that everything's starting to fall into place, he's relaxing. Maybe a little too much."

"What do you mean everything's falling into place? We still don't know where Hitomi is . . ." she trailed off as Yukari shook her head.

"But we do! That old guy you were beating up said he saw her over that way. Corey and I were headed there when we heard you scream."

"The Moleman told you he saw Hitomi? I'm not sure we can trust him, but it would be foolish not to check it out." She glared at the boy whose laughter had dwindled to the occasional bursts of giggles. "Should we leave him here?"

"It would be easier for us."

"Hey! I heard that! Where're you going? Wait for me!" Corey yelled at the departing girls, hauling himself to his feet. As he dashed off to catch up with them, he still had a smile on his face.

Maybe everything would work out, after all.

Next Chapter: Do You Know?